Ben Guez
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Benjamin James Guez (born January 24, 1987) was drafted by the Tigers in 2008, and has played in Detroit's organization from 2008 to 2014. He played in the Milwaukee Brewers organization from 2014 to 2016. In 2012, he was named an MiLB.com Organization All Star for the season, and the Scout.com
Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...
Player of the Year. Guez also played for the
Israel national baseball team The Israel National Baseball Team () represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Ian Kinsler. At the 2017 WBC, Team Israel came in 6th. In 2022, Israel was ranked 20th in the world. The Israel national baseball team compete ...
in the
Qualification Round Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
to the
2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...
, playing under the team's manager
Brad Ausmus Bradley David Ausmus (; born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He is the bench coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus ...
.


Early life and personal

Guez was born in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, where he resides during the off-season. He is Jewish, was
Bar Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...
at Congregation Or Hadash in 2000, and says his Jewish upbringing "definitely made me more disciplined as a person." Guez played Little League at West U during his childhood. He attended Lamar High School in Houston, graduating in 2005. There, he played
center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the cen ...
for the baseball team, lettering twice, and was first team All-District in 2004 and 2005. He was also selected to the pre-season All-Houston All Star team, and played in the All-Greater-Houston All Star game.


College career

Guez played college baseball at
William and Mary William and Mary often refers to: * The joint reign of William III of England (II of Scotland) and Mary II of England (and Scotland) * William and Mary style, a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 named for the couple William and Mary may al ...
, where he majored in economics and
kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...
. In 2007, as a sophomore, he posted a .270
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
, with 2
home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...
and 24
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
. The following year as a junior, his average jumped to .390 and he hit 13 homers, while being ranked 9th nationally in runs scored with 75 (the second-highest total in school history), driving in 51 runs and stealing 15 bases, and he had a .470
on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...
and .662
slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...
, in 57 games, earning All-
Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...
honors, and being named to the Second-Team
American Baseball Coaches Association The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) is the world's largest Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball Manager (baseball), coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coach ...
East All-Region Team. That season, he squeeze bunted for the district championship. During the summer of 2006, he played for the
Covington Lumberjacks The Covington Lumberjacks are a collegiate summer baseball team in Covington, Virginia. They play in the Valley Baseball League. The team was founded in 2001 and the Lumberjacks play their home games at Casey Field in downtown Covington. Since ...
in the
Valley Baseball League The Valley Baseball League is an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA and Major League Baseball, MLB-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. The league was s ...
, batting .272 with 2 home runs, 18 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 42 games. In the summer of 2007 he played with the
Bourne Braves The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park (ballpark) ...
in the
Cape Cod League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...
, hitting .282 with 3 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 9 stolen bases, and started in
center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the cen ...
in the Cape Cod League All-Star Game. In June 2008, after being recommended by Bill Buck, he was taken by the Tigers in the 19th round of the
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
.


Minor league career


2008–10

After being drafted, Guez joined the
Oneonta Tigers The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York–Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games ...
for his first professional season, and batted .223 over the course of 70 games in 2008. He homered 5 times, drove in 25 runs, and tied for the league lead with 8 outfield assists. Guez played for the
West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpar ...
, Detroit's affiliate in the
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
, for the 2009 season. In 104 appearances, he batted .275 with 12 homers and 64 RBIs, and tied for fourth in the Midwest League with a .483 slugging percentage. A right hamstring strain caused him to take a trip to the
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...
from June 10–25. He rebounded to earn Midwest League Player of the Week honors after batting .440 with 2 homers and 6 runs batted in, and was second in the Midwest League with 67 total bases, from July 13–19. Guez's performance during August, a month in which he hit .355, homered 4 times, and drove in 16 runs, led to him being named the Tigers Minor League Player of the Month. In 2010, Guez started the year with the
Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...
. After making only nine appearances with Lakeland, he was promoted to the
Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...
, Detroit's top minor league team. On June 3, Guez returned to Lakeland, and remained there for three weeks before joining the
Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...
on June 24. He once again rejoined Lakeland on July 6. Ten days later, he was moved to Toledo and he finished the minor league season with the Mud Hens. Overall, Guez made 105 appearances with the three clubs, batting .249, homering 10 times, and driving in 43 runs while stealing 14 bases. During the winter, he played for the
Surprise Rafters Surprise (or, rarely, surprize) may refer to: * Surprise (emotion), a brief emotional state experienced as the result of an unexpected significant event Places * Surprise, Arizona, a city in the United States * Surprise, Indiana, an unincorporat ...
of the
Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...
.


2011–present

Guez split the 2011 season between Erie and Toledo. He appeared in 38 games with the SeaWolves, batting .299 with 4 homers and 24 RBIs and a .504 slugging percentage. In 95 appearances for the Mud Hens, his average was .278, he homered 3 times and drove in 32 runs. As was the case the year before, Guez played with both Erie and Toledo in 2012. He batted .308 with a .481 on-base percentage for Erie over the course of 26 games, while homering 3 times and getting 11 runs batted in. He appeared in 82 games with Toledo and posted a .284 average, .379 on-base percentage, and 455. slugging percentage, with 6 home runs and 37 RBIs with the Mud Hens. He was named an MiLB.com Organization All Star for the season, and the Scout.com Toledo Mud Hens Player of the Year. In the winter of 2013–14, he played for the
Águilas de Mexicali The Águilas de Mexicali () are a professional baseball team based in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. They compete in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP). The team plays at the Estadio Nido de los Águilas also known simply as "El Nido" (The Nest ...
in the
Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (, or LMP), also known as the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons, is a professional baseball Winter league baseball, winter league based in Northwestern Mexico. The league comprises 10 teams. It wa ...
. He played in the 2014 season for the Toledo Mud Hens. In December 2014, the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
signed him and invited him to major league spring training. He began 2015 playing for the Brewers' AAA club in Colorado Springs. In his minor league career he has played all three outfield positions, but mostly played
right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...
and center field.


Team Israel

Guez was a member of the
Israel national baseball team The Israel National Baseball Team () represents Israel in international competitions. It is managed by Ian Kinsler. At the 2017 WBC, Team Israel came in 6th. In 2022, Israel was ranked 20th in the world. The Israel national baseball team compete ...
(Team Israel) in the
Qualification Round Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
to the
2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...
in September 2012, playing under the team's manager
Brad Ausmus Bradley David Ausmus (; born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He is the bench coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus ...
. Team Israel, under the Classic's rules, was entitled to have non-Israeli citizens of
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
heritage play for the team. Guez said that when Ausmus called him up and asked him to play for Team Israel, "it was like a shoo-in. I was honored that he would ask to play for his team. It was kind of a no-brainer." He batted leadoff and played center field, and joined an outfield that included Adam Greenberg,
Joc Pederson Joc Russell Pederson ( ; born April 21, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San ...
,
Robbie Widlansky Robert Eric Widlansky (born November 6, 1984) is a former professional baseball outfielder who played internationally for the Israel national baseball team. In college, he won the Sun Belt Conference batting title his senior season, with a Flori ...
, and
Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played for multiple teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). Green was a first-round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drov ...
. Israel lost to Spain in extra innings in the Pool Finals, missing out on a spot in the World Baseball Classic. During all three games of the qualifier, Guez batted lead off and started in center field. During the opening game Guez went 0 for 4 with a strike out and a walk. During the second game Guez went 1 for 4, with a run scored and a strike out. During the third and final game, Guez went 1 for 4 with a double, scored a run, with a walk and a strike out.


References


External links


Ben Guez
at Facebook
"Mud Hens Minutes: Ben Guez"
2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Guez, Ben 1987 births Living people Baseball players from Houston Gulf Coast Tigers players West Michigan Whitecaps players Bourne Braves players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Toledo Mud Hens players Erie SeaWolves players William & Mary Tribe baseball players Jewish American baseball players American people of Tunisian-Jewish descent Surprise Rafters players Tomateros de Culiacán players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Águilas de Mexicali players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Jews from Texas